UAE based Akka Finance raises investment from Core Ventures

UAE based Akka Finance raises investment from Core Ventures

UAE based Akka Finance, the AI Intelligence Layer for Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi), has received a strategic investment from Core Ventures, the investment arm of Core DAO.

As per the press release, the partnership validates Akka’s mission of leveraging AI to make DeFi easily accessible.

The new investment from Core Ventures joins a strong group of existing backers, including Ahoy Group and XVC Tech. As a portfolio company of KEY Difference Labs, Akka is building the future of Bitcoin-native DeFi by removing complexity and enabling smarter, more intuitive execution for all users.

The investment cements Akka’s role leading the AI revolution in DeFi, starting with the most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Core Ventures is a mission-driven investor who has deployed more than $1 million with the mission to bring decentralized finance to the Bitcoin blockchain.

Akka Finance launched its super-app in 2024, allowing users to interact with DeFi on ‘beginner mode’. By bringing trading, lending & borrowing and staking into one conversational interface.

Akka has 10,000 users which represent over 30% of the swap activity on the Core blockchain.

As part of its multi-chain rollout, Akka is launching a suite of predictive analytics that will solve the volatility problem endemic to crypto by allowing users to predict crypto prices in advance. The firm has also processed $80 million in transaction volume on Bitcoin DeFi.

By using a conversational interface to solve user problems, Akka’s cross-chain solution bundles numerous functions into one easy to use application. The team prepares to go beyond Bitcoin into other chains, and notes that several other partnerships and integrations are underway.

“Core Ventures’ investment is a powerful validation of our vision to make DeFi accessible to all, and recognizes the fundamental importance of Bitcoin as the most underserved blockchain,” said Ali Khoshnafs, CEO of Akka Finance. “Core is building the most secure, scalable foundation for Bitcoin DeFi, and Akka solves the complexity problem by providing a seamless intelligence layer optimized for all users. Together, we’re unlocking Bitcoin’s trillion dollar potential, making it productive and accessible for everyone.”

Core Ventures shares this enthusiasm for the future of BTCFi. “We back bold ideas that push the boundaries of Bitcoin’s utility in DeFi, and Akka Finance is a perfect example of that innovation,” said a representative from Core Ventures. “Their AI-driven approach aligns with our mission to create a scalable, secure ecosystem where Bitcoin can thrive as a cornerstone of decentralized finance.”

Founded in 2022 in Dubai, Akka Finance harnesses Dubai’s progressive regulatory environment and enjoys the government’s pro-innovation agenda.

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Qatar Investment Authority lost $250 million in bankrupt Builder ai

Qatar Investment Authority lost $250 million in bankrupt Builder ai

Qatar Investment Authority is one of the investors in Builder.ai, the British no-code AI startup to lose millions in investment, $250 million to be exact. Builder.ai filed for bankruptcy after Viola Credit seized $37 million from the company’s accounts leaving $5 million in restricted funds.

Founded in 2016, Builder.ai positioned itself as a revolutionary tool for businesses to build custom apps using AI with minimal coding. It raised over $450 million in total funding, attracting marquee investors like Microsoft, the World Bank’s IFC, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Lakestar, and SoftBank’s DeepCore incubator, Bloomberg reports. In May 2023, Microsoft made an equity investment and announced plans to integrate Builder.ai’s platform with its own Azure and AI services. Also the lead investor at the time was Qatar Investment Authority. It lead the the series D funding round of $450 million.

At the time the company noted, that the latest round of capital will fuel the company’s continued industry leadership and innovation pipeline allowing further investments in talent, partnerships, and technology; with a bigger focus on using human conversation as the primary user interface for allowing people to build software. The Series D round included participation from additional existing and new investors including Iconiq Capital, Jungle Ventures & Insight Partners

Two years later, Builder.ai will now begin bankruptcy filings in each of its operational jurisdictions, including the U.K., U.S., UAE, Singapore, and India.

Less than two months ago, Builder.ai confirmed it had revised down key sales figures and appointed auditors to examine financials from the past two years. Former employees raised concerns that sales performance had been inflated in previous investor briefings. According to Bloomberg, these allegations triggered a domino effect of investor caution, internal restructuring, and eventual loss of confidence.

Builder.ai, faked business with the Indian social-media startup VerSe Innovation for years to falsely inflate its sales, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg and people with direct knowledge of the practice. The two companies routinely billed one another for roughly the same amounts between 2021 and 2024, documents reviewed by Bloomberg show, as part of an alleged practice known as “round-tripping” that the people said Builder.ai used to inflate revenue figures it presented to investors. In many cases, products and services weren’t actually provided to either company for these payments, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.

Linas Beliunus, Director of Revenue at Zero Hash, in a LinkedIn post noted, ” It turns out the company had no AI, and instead was just a group of Indian developers pretending to write code as AI. Founder & CEO Sachin Dev Duggal has also reported fake revenue to investors. Somehow, the company was able to keep this scam going for 8 years.”

Egyptian Founder of stablecoin banking startup, Limited raises $7 million as it sets to expand in MENA

Egyptian Founder of stablecoin banking startup, Limited raises $7 million as it sets to expand in MENA

Egyptian Founder, Hussein Ahmed has raised $7 million in a seed funding round, for his U.S. based fintech startup Limited to expand in areas such as the Middle East. Limited offers stablecoin-based global banking services with self-custody,

The round was led by North Island Ventures, with additional participation from existing backers Third Prime and Arche Capital, as well as new investors Collab+Currency and SevenX Ventures.

This brings the company’s total funding to US$10 million since its founding in 2024.

Founded by Hussein Ahmed, an Egyptian entrepreneur, Limited has developed a banking and payments platform that integrates the security of self-custody stablecoins with the functionality of traditional banking services. Available on iOS, Android, and web, the platform is accessible in 176 countries and enables users, both individuals and businesses, to access global payment systems while retaining full control of their funds via self-custody wallets.

The platform also includes tiered Visa and Mastercard offerings and cross-border payment tools that support over 300 local payment methods in more than 80 currencies.

“With stablecoin transaction volumes exceeding $30 trillion annually and global remittance fees averaging 6.3%, we’ve created a solution that finally resolves the traditional tradeoff between self-custody security and ease of use,” said Ahmed.

“This funding will accelerate our growth in high-opportunity markets across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, where demand for borderless financial services is strongest.”

The company aims to meet the growing demand for more secure, globally accessible financial tools, especially in emerging markets where traditional banking services may fall short. It currently utilizes Circle’s USDC stablecoin and EURC stablecoin.

Travis Scher, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at North Island Ventures, highlighted the potential of Limited’s approach: “We’ve long believed that stablecoins represent one of the most compelling use cases for blockchain technology—providing access to stable currencies and efficient payment rails globally. Limited has built an elegant solution that makes stablecoins practical and accessible for everyday banking and commerce, not just trading. By solving the critical challenge of balancing security with usability, they’ve created a truly differentiated product.”

Circle goes IPO in USA

The announcement comes on the back drop of Circle’s listing on the New York Stock exchange where its shares soared 168% after the stablecoin company and its selling shareholders raised almost $1.1 billion in an initial public offering. “To realize our vision, we needed to forge relationships with governments, we needed to work with policymakers … because if you want this to work for mainstream, it’s got to work in mainstream society and you need to have those rules of the road,” CEO Jeremy Allaire told CNBC’s “Money Movers”. “We’ve been one of the most licensed, regulated, compliant, transparent companies in the entire history of this industry, and that’s served us well.”

Allaire also speaking with Bloomberg noted that stablecoin adoption is moving from pre adoption to mainstream and Circle will offer the internet financial infrastructure for every day payments. He said, ” The Internet is colliding with the financial system and we will partner with leading platforms to offer an ultra safe form of digital cash money that can be transacted at the fraction of cost within seconds.”

While the U.S. awaits the passing of the Genius Act for stablecoin regulation in the country, the UAE already passed its regulation last year, while Qatar has put stablecoins as one of the digital assets in its tokenization strategy.

UAE Fuze and Oman based Mamun to bring Sharia compliant financing through stablecoins

UAE Fuze and Oman based Mamun to bring Sharia compliant financing through stablecoins

UAE Regulated digital assets infrastructure provider, Fuze, has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oman based Mamun is a Sharia-compliant alternative finance and investment platform headquartered to enable regional and global retail and institutional investors to participate in short-term, sharia compliant financing of trade-driven businesses in USDT (Tether’s US dollar-pegged stablecoin).

As per the announcement, trade-driven businesses will then be able to receive fiat financing in local currency for supplier payments, local and cross-border trade. This will support businesses in accessing new forms of financing from a wider pool of investors.

The trade-credit gap in MENA stands at a staggering $250 billion, with that gap being over $1 trillion globally. SME businesses particularly feel the grunt of this problem, being underserved and underbanked by traditional financial institutions. Meanwhile, there are over 40 million crypto investors in MENA alone, with an estimated holding value of $300 billion, with very little access, if any, to small minimum, high-yielding, Sharia-compliant trade finance assets.

The partnership is one of the region’s first to bridge regulated digital asset infrastructure with traditional private credit markets. Under this collaboration, Fuze will provide the digital asset rails (on/off ramp, custody and conversion) while Mamun will originate Sharia-compliant trade finance opportunities. The agreement will enable quick and compliant settlement for SME trade financing and solve pain points around cross-border capital movement.

Mo Ali Yusuf, Fuze CEO said, “The alignment between Fuze and Mamun underscores a growing trend – the use of stablecoins like USDT not only for trading or remittance, but as a working capital and liquidity tool for real-world finance.”

Mohammed Al-Tamami, Mamun CCO said, “Bringing stablecoins into Sharia-compliant private credit allows us to open new pathways for cross-border trade finance. At Mamun, we’re not just innovating, we’re aligning digital asset infrastructure with real-economy capital needs. This collaboration with Fuze enables us to better serve investors and businesses alike.”

Galaxy recently led an investment round of $12 million into Fuze.

Saudi Central Bank invests in MicroStrategy who are Big on Bitcoin

Saudi Central Bank invests in MicroStrategy who are Big on Bitcoin

Saudi Central Bank better known as SAMA in a recent SEC ( Securities and Commodities Exchange) 13F filing has disclosed that it has invested and holds 25,656 shares in MicroStrategy Inc. For those not familiar with MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, it is an award-winning AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Business Intelligence platform trusted to deliver intelligence everywhere, on any cloud, at enterprise scale.

It is also one of the biggest buyers of Bitcoin. Its strategy has been to issue equity, debt and preferred stock to acquire the digital currency, and it has been on a buying spree. Its Bitcoin holdings have more than doubled since Sept 2024, when it held 252,200 coins. It had about 447,000 coins at the end of 2024. Now, MicroStrategy owns 568,840 bitcoins as of May 12, 2025.

Its CEO Michael Saylor in an interview on Al Arabiya encouraged countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait to purchase Bitcoin as well. In the Al Arabiya English interview with Hadley Gamble, he works to convince the globe on why Bitcoin is the center of the AI economy, and why countries including KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE as well as the rest of the world should buy Bitcoin. He then states that GCC region with its low taxation, its digital asset regulations, and its trusted banking sector could become the trusted digital asset custodians for the digital economy.

MicroStrategy states the average purchase price as $66,384.56 USD per bitcoin with a total cost of $33.139 billion USD.

Now, Saudi Central Bank, has indirectly become an investor in Bitcoin with its 25,656 Shares in MicroStrategy.

The Saudi Central Bank is not the first with exposure to Bitcoin. Prior to this Mubadala Fund of UAE invested in Bitcoin ETF with BlackRock. More recently Mubadala increased its investment in Black Rock’s Bitcoin ETF. It now holds a $408.5 million stake in IShare Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). While MGX, UAE sovereign Fund and a big investor in AI, recently invested $2 billion into Binance.

Even Bahrain based Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. (Ticker: ABRAAJ) (“Company”), a public listed company on the Bahrain Bourse, has announced that it put Bitcoin on its balance sheet. The Group has purchased Bitcoin in partnership with U.S. based 10X Capital, becoming the first publicly traded company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”), and the Middle East to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

While Saudi Arabia has yet to come out with its crypto regulation, it has been investing heavily in Web3 technologies, including AI, Blockchain and others. Could this be the beginning of an opening up to crypto after the United States seems to have changed its stance on the asset, or just another AI investment? It just might be both!


UAE Sovereign Fund Mubadala increases investment in Bitcoin

UAE Sovereign Fund Mubadala increases investment in Bitcoin

While the rumor mill across the crypto ecosystem over the past days speculated that countries such as Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia were investing in Bitcoin, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, disclosed a $408.5 million stake in IShare Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in a 13F filing released on My 15th 2025.

The fund reported holding 8,726,972 shares as of March 31, 2025, an increase from 8,235,533 shares reported at the end of 2024. This increased exposure showcases the perception change regarding Bitcoin and crypto in general after President Trump has taken office.

Back at the end of 2024, UAE Mubadala, a sovereign investment fund, revealed in an SEC Filing that in late 2024 it invested $436 million worth in BlackRock’s Ishares Bitcoin Trust ETF. The disclosure was made through a 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

At the time while Mubadala’s investment in Bitcoin while not directly but through an ETF is a significant departure from the usual investments made by Sovereign funds in the Middle East and GCC region.

The UAE in particular has been showcased as having 30% of its population owning crypto. Prior to this announcement another UAE sovereign wealth fund, through one of its subsidiaries FSI ( FS Innovation) agreed with US based Marathon digital holdings, a digital asset mining company establishing and operating facilities for digital asset mining in Abu Dhabi. The initial phase consisted of two digital asset mining sites comprising 250 MW (megawatts) in Abu Dhabi UAE. Marathon Holdings will own 20% of the joint company in UAE only. The cost of the project being $406 million.

Bahrain Restaurant Group also announced investment in Bitcoin

Bahrain based Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. (Ticker: ABRAAJ) (“Company”), a public listed company on the Bahrain Bourse, announced that it has put Bitcoin on its balance sheet. As per the news on Zawya, the Group has purchased Bitcoin in partnership with U.S. based 10X Capital, becoming the first publicly traded company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”), and the Middle East to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

Al Abraaj has acquired an initial amount of 5 Bitcoin with plans to build on this initial purchase and begin allocating a significant portion of its corporate treasury into Bitcoin.

As per the announcement, Al Abraaj considers Bitcoin to be its reserve treasury asset. Al Abraaj is a profitable company, with 2024 EBITDA of USD $12.5 million.

Bahrain Al Abraaj Restaurants puts Bitcoin on its balance sheet

Bahrain Al Abraaj Restaurants puts Bitcoin on its balance sheet

Bahrain based Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. (Ticker: ABRAAJ) (“Company”), a public listed company on the Bahrain Bourse, announced that it has put Bitcoin on its balance sheet. As per the news on Zawya, the Group has purchased Bitcoin in partnership with U.S. based 10X Capital, becoming the first publicly traded company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”), and the Middle East to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

Al Abraaj has acquired an initial amount of 5 Bitcoin with plans to build on this initial purchase and begin allocating a significant portion of its corporate treasury into Bitcoin.

As per the announcement, Al Abraaj considers Bitcoin to be its reserve treasury asset. Al Abraaj is a profitable company, with 2024 EBITDA of USD $12.5 million. This move is designed to enhance the company’s asset portfolio and capitalize on emerging opportunities within the capital markets.​ Al Abraaj aims to innovate with shari’a compliant financial instruments to give the Islamic world broader exposure to Bitcoin.

The Company has partnered with 10X Capital, the NYC-based investment firm with a track record of managing treasury assets for publicly listed companies, and advising and capitalizing listed Bitcoin Treasury Companies, including most recently advising Nakamoto on its $710M financing (Nasdaq:KDLY), the largest capital raise to launch a Bitcoin Treasury Company and the largest private placement for any public bitcoin-related transaction ever. In collaboration with 10X, the Company plans to raise capital to acquire additional Bitcoin, with a goal of maximizing Bitcoin per share.

“Our initiative towards becoming a Bitcoin Treasury Company reflects our forward-thinking approach and dedication to maximizing shareholder value,” said Abdulla Isa, Chairman of the Bitcoin Treasury Committee of Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C.. “We believe that Bitcoin will play a pivotal role in the future of finance, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this transformation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 10X is a proven leader in advising and bringing capital to listed Bitcoin Treasury Companies, and we welcome their partnership in helping us build the MicroStrategy of the Middle East.”​

“I’d like to congratulate Abdalla Isa and the team at Al Abraaj for adopting Bitcoin at the corporate treasury level, finally enabling anyone in the GCC with a brokerage account to gain Bitcoin exposure,” said Hans Thomas, CEO of 10X Capital. “Bahrain continues to be a leader in the Middle East in Bitcoin adoption, backed by a forward-thinking regulatory framework.” Mr. Thomas added, “The GCC, with a combined GDP of $2.2 trillion—larger than Canada, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Australia, South Korea, or Spain—over $6 trillion in sovereign wealth funds, and a population of just 57.6 million, has until now lacked a publicly listed Bitcoin treasury company like Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA), or Metaplanet (Tokyo: 3350.T). That changes today with ABRAAJ’s historic Bitcoin purchase, giving investors across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman access to Bitcoin through a publicly traded stock. In fact, almost anyone in the world can buy ABRAAJ stock by registering with the Bahrain Bourse.”

Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. will implement robust custody, portfolio risk management and governance policies to oversee its Bitcoin holdings, including by creating a Bitcoin Committee that will consist of experienced Bitcoin investors and portfolio managers and global capital markets experts. The company intends to provide regular updates to shareholders and stakeholders regarding its Bitcoin-related activities.​

Recently Michael Saylor encouraged sovereign wealth funds in GCC to invest in Bitcoin.

OSL Wealth and UAE regulated Nine Blocks Capital partner to offer BTC Market Neutral Fund

OSL Wealth and UAE regulated Nine Blocks Capital partner to offer BTC Market Neutral Fund

Hong Kong, OSL Wealth, a wealth management platform tailored for traditional investors managing crypto assets of OSL Group (HKEX: 863), has signed a distribution partnership with UAE-regulated Nine Blocks Capital Management, a regulated and institutional crypto hedge fund management and the first and only crypto hedge fund regulated by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).

As per the press release, through this collaboration, OSL Wealth will offer qualified investors access to UAE and Hong Kong based Nineblocks’ flagship USD Market Neutral Fund and BTC Market Neutral Fund, marking a significant milestone in the institutional adoption of digital asset investment strategies.

The partnership addresses growing demand from institutional investors seeking crypto exposure via regulated fund managers. This will enable OSL clients to generate returns on the USD/stable coin assets as well as generate yield on their Bitcoin holdings.

Nine Blocks’ market-neutral approach combines sophisticated quantitative strategies with rigorous risk management frameworks to deliver consistent returns across market cycles. The USD Market Neutral Fund enables investors to generate returns on their USD and stable coin assets. The BTC Market Neutral Fund enables long term BTC holders to generate yield on their Bitcoin assets without losing Bitcoin exposure.

Eugene Cheung, Chief Commercial Officer of OSL, emphasised the strategic importance of this partnership, “As digital assets mature into an institutional asset class, investors increasingly require sophisticated strategies that align with traditional portfolio construction principles. Nineblocks’ VARA-regulated market-neutral solutions represent exactly what discerning allocators demand – the innovation potential of crypto assets combined with institutional-grade risk management and compliance standards. This partnership enables us to provide clients with tools to navigate digital markets while maintaining their existing risk parameters.”

Henri Arslanian, Co-Founder of Nine Blocks Capital Management, commented, “We believe that many HNWIs and family office investors want to access crypto products through platforms that are regulated and institutional-grade. We are pleased to partner with OSL to deliver such products to the Hong Kong and Asian markets.”

Eric Trump reveals the stablecoin behind UAE’s $2 billion Binance investment

Eric Trump reveals the stablecoin behind UAE’s $2 billion Binance investment

Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, during his participation at Token 2049 demystified the stablecoin behind the deal that was made between UAE sovereign wealth fund MGX and Binance crypto exchange. The $2 billion investment by MGX into Binance was announced earlier this year, yet the stablecoin mentioned for carrying out the deal remained a mystery.

MGX, chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor and a brother of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, backed not only by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala but also G42 invested 2 percent of its 100 billion investment vehicle into the world leading crypto exchange Binance.

At Token 2049 Dubai, Eric Trump demystified it stating the the World Liberty Financial USD stablecoin (USD1) is the one that will be used for the UAE MGX Binance deal, while noting that the USD1 would integrate with the Tron network.

Trump announced that the WLF USD stablecoin (USD1) was selected as the official stablecoin for MGX’s $2 billion investment in Binance. Zach Witkoff, the Co-founder of World Liberty Financial, teased more future partnerships for the DeFi protocol, adding that the platform aimed to establish USD1 as the preferred stablecoin in the DeFi and CeFi ecosystem, and the WLF team was working really hard on getting integrations into traditional retail point of sale systems.

“We thank MGX and Binance for their trust in us,” said Witkoff, who is the son of the White House envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. “It’s only the beginning.”

Trump disclosed that Abu Dhabi’s MGX will use the USD1 stablecoin to settle a $2 billion investment into Binance in one of crypto’s largest funding deals, marking the investment firm’s first venture into the crypto space.

Trump mentioned that sending funds internationally through SWIFT was slow, costly, and complex, emphasizing that crypto [almost] made banks redundant. An analysis report published by Statrys said the average transaction time on the SWIFT payment network was 20 hours and seven minutes. Additionally, 75% of SWIFT transactions involve one or two intermediary banks, meaning that these average 1 day and 11 hours to settle. However, a USDT or USDC stablecoin transaction on Ethereum settles within two to five minutes.

“USD1 will become one of the most transparent and regulated stablecoins in the world…not only do we want to create a product in our stable point USD, one that can be sent across borders in a very seamless way, but transparency and frankly, consumer safety is paramount…”

Galaxy leads $12 million investment in UAE based Fuze

Galaxy leads $12 million investment in UAE based Fuze

Galaxy, a leader in digital assets and data center infrastructure, and e& capital, the venture capital and investment arm of globaly technology group e& lead $12.2 million Series A funding round in Fuze, the Middle East and Turkey’s fastest growing digital assets infrastructure firm.

As per the press release, the Series A investment will fuel Fuze’s regional and international expansion, accelerate product innovation and compliance, and support top-tier hiring. Fuze provides Digital Assets-as-a-Service infrastructure enabling financial institutions and businesses across MENA and Turkey to offer regulated digital assets to their clients, as well as an Over-The-Counter (OTC) trading desk. In addition, Fuze has now launched a full suite of stablecoin infrastructure products and recently announced its expansion, through FuzePay, into payments.

Mo Ali Yusuf, CEO and Co-Founder at Fuze, stated, “Strategically, Galaxy’s comprehensive digital asset capabilities and e&’s unparalleled network will fast-track our mission to enable any bank, fintech or traditional business to seamlessly integrate digital assets and accelerate regional digital asset adoption. We are seeing a huge surge in demand and we believe that in the next 12 months, every financial institution and business will leverage some type of crypto or stablecoin capability.”

Leon Marshall, CEO of Galaxy Europe, added, “We are thrilled to partner with Fuze and lead this Series A round. The Middle East is poised to become a major hub for innovation, with the UAE demonstrating a willingness to develop comprehensive regulatory frameworks for digital assets and Fuze rapidly advancing its digital assets infrastructure.”

Fuze has been championed from the beginning by Further Ventures, an ADQ-backed venture builder and investment firm. In 2023 the company raised a seed round of $14mn, the largest Seed investment in a digital assets startup in the history of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The investment was led by Abu Dhabi-based Further Ventures, along with participation by US-based Liberty City Ventures. 

Mohamed Hamdy, Managing Partner at Further Ventures said, “This fundraising round marks an important milestone for Fuze, a company that Further Ventures backed since inception. We’re proud to welcome leading global investors – including Galaxy, e& Capital, and others – to join us on this journey. We believe Fuze is poised to become a dominant force in enabling digital asset businesses around the world.”

Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer e&, said “With our investment in Fuze, we’re excited to align with a team that’s setting the benchmark for what a future-ready, regulated digital asset ecosystem can look like. There’s a natural synergy between Fuze and our fintech portfolio, from e& money to Wio and Careem Pay. And this investment is about backing bold companies who understand the long game, building digital assets infrastructure to supercharge the next wave of financial services innovation.”

In the last year, Fuze has processed over $2 billion in total digital assets volume through their Digital-Assets-as-a-Service platform, stablecoin infrastructure, and OTC.